BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The North Dakota Senate has passed a measure would make the state the first to ban abortions based on genetic defects such as Down syndrome.
The Senate passed the bill Friday, sending it to Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple.
The measure would also ban abortion based on gender selection. The Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion laws throughout the country, says Pennsylvania, Arizona and Oklahoma already have such laws.
Fargo Republican Rep. Bette Grande is the prime sponsor of the bill. She says abortions based on gender or genetic abnormalities have "no place in civilized society."
Grande says sex-selection abortions usually target female fetuses because of preference for a baby boy. Grande says she also has two children with "genetic disabilities."
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
